Influence of non-equilibrium carriers on the surface breakdown of diodes and MOS-structures

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Abstract
The effect of a reduction of breakdown voltage\Delta V_{B}by external illumination of an oxide protected planar n+p diode or by non-equilibrium carriers drifting in a surface channel has been investigated. The appearance of a localized area where the external light spot causes maximum\Delta V_{B}is described. The influence of light wavelength and ambient has been studied. A model is presented to explain the facts that a small current of non-equilibrium carriers controls an avalanche current which is several orders of magnitude larger, and that no lock-on mechanism has been observed. The model involves the field enhancement by slowly moving carriers in the space charge region at a narrow distance from the Si-SiO2interface. The influence of surface potentials on these carriers is emphasized.